I.

Introduction

Hillary Rodham Clinton, born in 1947, Democratic member of the United States Senate from New York (2001- ), wife of United States president Bill Clinton (1993-2001), and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2008 presidential race. During her husband’s presidency, she became a powerful symbol of the changing role and status of women in American society. Her election to the U.S. Senate while being first lady was unprecedented in U.S. history. In announcing her candidacy for the presidency, Clinton was widely seen as the first female candidate with a strong prospect of winning her party’s nomination.